Control mechanism for alarm clock



' June 4, 1968 r R. L. von 3,386,233

I CONTROL MECHANISM FOR ALARM CLOCK 7 Filed March 15, 1966 47 TIMING I SETTABLE TRIGGER \\\\\\\\\\N l I INVENTuR RICHARD L. VOIT United States Patent 3,386,238 CONTROL MECHANISM FOR ALARM CLOCK Richard L. Voit, Northbrook, Ill., assignor to General Time Corporation, New York, N.Y., a corporation of Delaware Filed Mar. 15, 1966, Ser. No. 534,471 3 Claims. (Cl. 58-50) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An alarm clock in which bodily lifting from the supporting surface is effective to shut off the alarm after it has sounded and to illuminate the clock face whereas lifting before the alarm sounds is effective to produce illumination but has no effect upon the alarm mechanism.

The present invention relates to alarm clocks and more particularly to means for controlling the alarm mechanism and illumination upon bodily movement of the clock.

In copending Michael et al. application Ser. No. 529,- 144, filed Feb. 21, 1966, on Touch Controlled Alarm Clock, there is disclosed and claimed a mechanical arrangement for shutting off the alarm and turning on the illuminating lamp when the clock is moved in the vertical direction, for example, by pressing the clock downwardly with respect to its supporting surface. It is an object of the invention to proivde means for simultaneously turning off the alarm and for illuminating the dial of the clock by bodily lifting the clock from its supporting surface.

It is a more specific object of the invention to provide an alarm clock having automatic illumination and shutoff but which does not require any controls except the lift responsive member at the bottom of the clock. Thus it is an object to provide a clock which is particularly suitable for use by a person who finds it convenient to raise the clock bodily from its position on a bedside table for closer viewing.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent upon reading the attached detailed description and upon reference to the drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective View taken from the underside of a clock incorporating the persent invention;

FIG. 2 is a vertical fragmentary section taken through the base portion of the clock and showing the actuating means in its normal condition when the clock is seated on a supporting surface;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary elevation showing the alarm mechanism at the time of triggering of the alarm and prior to shut-off;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary section similar to FIG. 2 but showing the effect of raising the clock from its supporting surface;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary view of the alarm mechanism corresponding to FIG. 4 and showing movement of the blocking member into its blocking position;

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 2 but showing a somewhat modified arrangement employing a single actuating member in the base.

While the invention has been described in connection with certain preferred embodiments, it will be understood that I do not intend to be limited to the illustrated forms of the invention but intend to cover the various alternative and equivalent constructions falling within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Turning now to the drawings there is disclosed an alarm clock having a housing 10, the usual hour and minute hands 11, 12, and an alarm setting hand 13, cooperating with a face or dial 14. The housing 10 has an integral base portion which is supported on the surface 16 of a bedside table or the like.

The invention will be described in connection with a spring wound clock having a timing train and an alarm mechanism with conventional means for triggering the alarm at a preset time. For the details of the timing train and alarm mechanism reference may be made to Cielaszyk application Ser. No. 492,525 which was filed Oct. 4, 1965. It will suflice for present purposes to say that the clock employs a spring 20 (FIG. 3) having an output hub 21 which is connected by a drive connection 22 to the remainder of the timing train indicated diagrammatically at 23. The outer end of the spring 20 is connected to an alarm drive gear 25 which is directly connected to a winding key 26 and which meshes with a star wheel pinion 30 having a shaft 31. The portion of the shaft 31 adjacent the pinion 30 is mounted in an elongated slot 32, being kept seated therein by a spring 33. Thus when the winding key 26 is turned in a clockwise direction, the pinion, moving in its slot, ratchets idly over the teeth of the drive gear until the spring is fully wound.

The gear and pinion 25, 30 thus apply torque to the star wheel 35 which cooperates with a clap er having pawls 41, 42 and which oscillates about a shaft 43. The end of the clapper engages the inside surface of a bell 45.

For the purpose of releasing the clapper 40 at the preset time, a trigger member 46 is provided having a connection 47 to a settable trigger mechanism 48. While the latter is included diagrammatically, it will be understood thatsuch trigger mechanism conventionally includes an index wheel which cooperates with the hour wheel in the clock and which suffers endwise movement when a condition of register is reached at the pre-set time. Such endwise movement serves to move the trigger member 46 out of blocking engagement with the clapper to initiate sounding of the alarm. For the purpose of shutting off the alarm, a control or blocking member 59 is provided in the form of a toggle having a tip 51 which is arranged closely adjacent the periphery of the drive gear 25. The member is mounted for limited rocking movement about a shaft 52 and held in retracted position by a spring 53 for normal seating against a limit stop 54. An arm 55 thereon extends downwardly toward the base of the clock.

In accordance with the present invention novel means including an actuator at the bottom of the clock, are provided for both illuminating the clock dial and for moving the control or blocking member 50 into its obstructing position upon lifting the clock from its supporting surface. This is accomplished in the present instance by an actuating member or plunger having a tip 61 which extends through a suitable clearance opening 62 into engagement with the supporting surface 16. For the purpose of coupling the actuating member and the control or blocking member 50, a motion reversing lever 65 is provided which is centrally pivoted at 66 and which has a pin connection 67 with the plunger and a force transmitting surface 68, in the form of a bent-over tab, engaging the lower end of the arm 55 on the control member. A spring 69 on the plunger serves to bias it downwardly, the spring being sufficiently strong so that it is capable of positively operating the control member and yet suificiently light so that it is overcome by the weight of the clock when the clock is seated on a supporting surface.

For illuminating the clock face, a lamp 70 is employed having leads 71, 72 respectively connected to a battery 73 and a switch 74. The switch is formed of a spring member 75 which is sprung downwardly through an opening 76 in the bottom of the clock to complete a circuit through a fixed contact '77 whenever the clock is lifted from the supporting surface.

In normal use the spring of the clock is wound, and

the alarm setting hand 13 is set, so that the trigger mechanism will free the trigger 46 at the desired wake-up time. The clock is placed on its bedside supporting surface so that the actuating means is in the condition shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. Under such condition the control member 50 is free of the gear 25. At the pre-set time, when the trigger 46 is moved by the trigger mechanism into the position shown in FIG. 3, thereby freeing the clapper 4f), the clapper is vibrated by reason of the spring torque applied to the star wheel, resulting in ringing of the alarm bell 45. The awakened sleeper, lifting the clock from its supporting surface, enables the actuating members 60, 75 to move into the positions shown in FIG. 4. The blade 75 of the switch engages the fixed contact 77 turning on the lamp 7% which illuminates the dial. Simultaneously, downward movement of the plunger 60 under the urging of the spring 69, rocks the lever 65 counterclockwise which, in turn, raises the arm 55 on the control member 50 rocking the tip 51 on the latter into engagement with an oncoming tooth on the alarm drive gear 25. This causes the control member 50 to be rotated clockwise through a small angle as shown in FIG. until crowding of the toggle brings the alarm drive gear to a stop, terminating further ringing of the alarm. Because of the crowding action of the toggle, the control member Stl remains engaged or hung up on the drive gear 25 even after the clock is returned to its position on the bedside table, resulting in permanent shut-off accompanied by turning otf of the lamp 70.

It will be apparent that the user need not manipulate any levers, switches or controls in order to accomplish the foregoing. Lifting the clock to take a better look at it is a natural motion and the above described sequence follows from this simple act. This not only obviates fumbling with the controls, but any grip on the clock suffices. Nor is it necessary, as in the case of press-down clocks, to apply force to the clock housing in any particular direction. The present control arrangement is ideally suited for use by those persons who are nearsighted and without their glasses at night and who find it desirable to pick up the alarm clock bodily for a closer look.

It will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the illumination feature is fully available either before or after the shut-off cycle. Thus when the clock is lifted before the time for which it is set, the member 46, not yet triggered, prevents ringing of the alarm, and the control or blocking member 50 simply undergoes an idle movement into and out of engagement with adjacent teeth on the drive gear. Similarly, where it is desired to note the time subsequent to shut-01f, lifting the clock serves to close the switch to provide the necessary illumination, and the plunger 60 and lever 65 undergo idle movement.

For the purpose of resetting the alarm the following evening, the winding key 26 is rotated, causing the gear 25 to turn clockwise, thus releasing the crowding force which is applied to the member 50, allowing the member to snap back against stop 54 under the urging of the spring 53. The only precaution necessary in the winding operation is to maintain the plunger pressed in during the time that force on the winding key is released, thereby insuring that the small amount of retrograde movement of the drive gear 25, as the ratcheting pinion 3% moves into its seated position, will not result in maintaining the blocking member engaged with, or caught by, the gear teeth. Alternatively, the blocking member may be constructed so as to have a certain amount of lost motion or play with respect to its mount so that the small amount of retrograde movement will be ineffective to initiate the crowding action and so that movement of the gear 25 through an appreciable angle will be required. The tip 51 on the control member 50 is preferably angled as shown so that the gear 25 is under no condition blocked against clockwise winding movement.

While the invention has been described in connection with a simple embodiment, an alternate embodiment having certain additional features is set forth in FIG. 6. In this figure, corresponding parts have corresponding reference numerals with the addition of suflix a. Here the switch element'75a of the spring, instead of projecting through the bottom of the clock, is operated directly by the movement of the plunger 60a, for example, by engaging the tip 82 of the spring element in a notch 81 in the plunger. Thus the switch blade not only performs the switching function but also serves to bias the plunger 60a downwardly so that the coil spring 69 may be dispensed with. The operation of the mechanism is otherwise the same as that previously described.

The novel control mechanism may be added at only minor expense and with only minimum modification to existing clock structures and mechanism. Thus the features which distinguish the device may be used on inexpensive clocks, providing a sales asset which greatly exceeds the few pennies of additional manufacturing cost.

Reference to source of current in some of the claims shall be understood to refer to a battery, if one is used, or a pair of supply leads arranged for connection to some external voltage supply. The alarm-enabling and alarm-disabling positions of the control member, which is the toggle 55) in the present embodiment, refer to the positions shown respectively in FIGS. 3 and 5. The term turn off the alarm refers to silencing the alarm after it has sounded.

I claim as my invention:

1. In an alarm clock for seating on a supporting surface, the combination comprising a housing having a dial, a timing train, a settable alarm mechanism including a drive gear for sounding an alarm at a pre-set time, means including a gear blocking member normally occupying a retracted position but moveable into a blocking position in which the member is positioned for engagement by an advancing gear tooth for blocking further rotation of the gear, means including a lamp having a battery and switch for illuminating the dial, actuator means at the bottom of the clock housing biased for outward projection with respect thereto and coupled to the blocking member and switch so that when the clock is picked up from its supporting surface the blocking member is moved into blocking position accompanied by turning on of the switch to enable visual observation of the time that the alarm has sounded, and means for subsequently releasing the blocking memberfor resetting of the alarm.

2. In an alarm clock for seating on a supporting surface, the combination comprising a housing having a dial, a timing train, a settable alarm mechanism for sounding an alarm at a pre-set time, a movable control member for shutting off the alarm after the same has sounded, means including a lamp having a source of current and switch for illuminating the dial, said housing having an actuator member extending downwardly from the bottom thereof and connected to the control member and switch, means for biasing the actuator member for movement downwardly when the clock is lifted from its supporting surface to simultaneously turn off the alarm and illuminate the dial, said biasing means having a total biasing force capable of producing positive movement of the control member but which is less than the weight of the clock to insure upward movement of the actuator member when the clock is seated on the supporting surface.

3. In an alarm clock for seating on a supporting surface the combination comprising a housing having a dial, a timing train, a settable alarm mechanism including a drive gear for sounding the alarm at a pre-set time, a spring having a winding stem for applying torque to the drive gear, means including a pivoted gear blocking member having a first biasing spring for biasing the same toward a retracted position but rockable into a blocking position in which the member is positioned for crowding engagement by an advancing gear tooth for blocking further rotation of the gear, means including a lamp having a battery and switch for illuminating the dial, actuating means at the bottom of the clock housing having a second biasing spring for biasing the same for outward projection with respect thereto and operatively coupled both to the blocking member and switch, the second biasing spring being capable of overcoming the first spring so that when the clock is picked up from its supporting surface the blocking member is moved into its blocking position against the force of the first spring accompanied by simultaneous turning on of the switch to enable visual observation of the time that the alarm has sounded, said blocking member having sufficient play with respect to its pivot so that the block- References Cited FOREIGN PATENTS 2/1929 Germany. 3/1939 France.

RICHARD B. WILKINSON, Primary Examiner.

EDITH SIMMONS, M. LORCH, Assistant Examiners,

Disclaimer and Dedication 3,386,238.R1'o7wrd L. Voit, Northbrook, Ill. CONTROL MECHANISM FOR ALARM CLOCK Patent dated June 4, 1968. Disclaimer and dedication filed July 11, 1968, by the assignee, General Time Corporation.

Hereby disclaims and dedicates to the Public the terminal portion of the term of the patent subsequent to Nov. 14, 1984. [Ofiio'ial Gazette August 13; 1968.] 

